Railway electric signal apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

4CHARLES A. Scor'r, o nBo'SToN, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY E Ll-:c'rmc SIGNAL APPARATUS.

srEcIFrcA'rIoN 'forming peru of Letters recent No. 282,229, dated .my 31,1883.

Application tiled .Tune 18,1883. i (No model.) v, i y

-To all whom it may' concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES A. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, St-ate of Massachusetts, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Railway Electric Signal Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the 'following to be a full, clear, concise,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-. like letters indicating like parts- Figure l is a vlew in elevation of an electriccircuit niake-and-break mechanism, such as is adaptedfor use in connection with a railwaytrack for breaking a circuit by the act-ion of a train when going in one directionfuay from left toriglit-but which will not change the circuit under the action of atrain going in the other direction. Fig. 2 is like View of a siinila apparatus, but constructed to operate inthe reverse order ascompared with that shown in Fig; l-that is, to break the circuit under the actionj of Aa train going from right to left, and be inoperative under the action of a train going in the reverse direction. Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of Fig. 1, in that it operates only as acircuit-closer. Figari illustrates a like modification of Fig. 2. l

In the following description I will designate these generally as "track-instruments,7 that being the name by' which `they are generally known inthe art. B will designate the trackinstrunlentiot' Fig. 1, l?.2 the traek-instrument of. Fig. 2,l B* the track-instrument of Fig. 4, and B the track-instrument of Fig. 3, itbe# ing understood that the parts of B* and Binot" shown in Figs. 4. and 3 are to be made substantially as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, ref

spectively.l F

Fig. 5 shows by diagram ay train-actuated 1 grade or street-crossing electric bell-ringing apparatus organized for operation on the openas above stated.

circuit system, or with circuits operated by such track-instruments as are represented in Figs. 4 and 3^; `and Fig. 6 Shows by a like diagram a similar apparatus organized for opration on the closed-circuit system, or with circuits operated by such track-instruments are represented by Figs. 1 and 2, constructed- 'Y My present invention relates to a system of lelectric bell-ringing apparatus, jparticularly designed for use on a` single-track road, or on ganized, in connection with a street or rail-l way grade crossing "or station-house, or other .point or place wherean audible signal isdesired, that a train approaching `from either-direction will close a bell-ringing circuit, which.

will remain closed until the train Shall have reached the point or place to be protected', or

shall haveso nearly reached it that further alarm is unnecessary, andalso so., thatjsuch train,. in leaving, shall not a'ect the circuit by which the same bell-ringing apparatus is` operated by train approaching lfrom the opposite direction. .y

'ihe track-instruments shown in lfligs. 1 to 4' constitute, in their general features, the sub,-

ject-inatter of an application (Serial N0.92,960)

`already tiled, and they are shown herein only torepresent'one suitable construction of de= vices adapted to the purposesvin view; but in lieu of then1,ror any of them, other suitable form or construction of track-instrument' adapted to do the saine work under train action may be used, and all such are included` herein as elements of the colnbinationshereinafter claimed, the same being designated..

generally as track-instruments. 7

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 in general Y terms, b b 1nay represent the level .of the tracklrails, and the posts a, pivoted at Z1, are suitably arranged to be moved by the carwheels, sot-hat atrain going from left to right Shall on Fig. 1. cause the arm c to engage the lever c, tilt it on its pivoting-point in fulcrumpost d, so that its outer 'end shall move away from the spring-contact s and allow it to clear the othercontact, s', and so break the circuit through wires 1" r. After the train passes, the springs Vc c bring the arm a' back to normal position, and a counterfweight, c', restores the broken connection. flhe` same train, it will be seen, produces no eiect as regards the oca f right to left 011 the sainen track will vopen the tacts s s of Fig. 2; buta train 0 ing -circuit through wires` of Fig. 2,111'- the manner above described, but will pass the trackinstrument of Fig. cuit.

1 without affecting thecir,`

Going nowto Fig.'l5,' lt nay represent asinf 'is electrically connected with such tracie -when no train is passing or present-tbe cirglc track, or a track onv which trains are normally run in both directions, and the dotted lines R' may represent agrade street-crossing, or a station, railway grade crossing, or other point Where protection is desired by the use of an audible signal, which here is represented by a bell-rin ging apparatus, A, which may be of any suitable construction, preferably treinbling` or vibratory, and arranged at any, convenient point, wit-i1 suitable support and protection. A suitable trackinstrument-say such as is shown in Fig. 4--is arranged at B", and a correspoinlino instrument-say suoli a one as shown in Swat Bi. The bell-ring ing circuit, which l will designate as "Na 1, includes the usual electro-magnet and battery, lv, and is completed by the wires l, 2, and 3, and armaturelever g. This armature is arret-raged so as to come Within the influence ofthe elec. tro-magnet- D', so that when the electro-magnet is excited or charged it will i be brought over to the contactstops z i', and will receive a reverse motion by theusual rctractile spring. At or near the crossing R', l arrange another track-instrument of -any suitable construction, which in thisv case consists of a bar, n, arranged beside a track-rail, and in suitable-position to be engaged by the car-wheels in passing, and thereby make electrical connection' from the bar n to the rail. Wire 5 leads from the bar n to one pole of battery v', and wire it from the other battery-pole to the track-rail which is adjacent to the -bar n, or to one which rail. '.iliese connections give ine' circuit lio. 2, l/Vire G extends from one terminal.,of-trackinstrunicnt B to Wire 10, 'and thence by Wire li to one pole of the electro-magnet.D-'; and 1wire" 7 leads from. the other terminal of traclrhiustrument B, and, branching, goes by Wire 8 to armature-lever g, and bywire 9 to the wire ei, and through it is connected with one pole or battery t', Ji/ire l() extends from one terinlnal oi' track-instrunient Bi' .past its contact with. wire. G to contact-stop i', and a Wire, i3, leads from the other terminal, Bi, to one pole oi' battery c', and a nire, i2, from its other pole to electro-magnet D5! lt will now be seen that normally-that is,

cuits will bc open or brolcen at E* and B, and also at n, so that no closed circuit will exist to excite the magnet D', and so long as the latter is unexcited circuit No. l cannot be closed. A train approaching from the left will actuate track instrument il", so as to bring its terminals, Fig. i, into contact, and thereby close a -circuit by wires 7, 9, andv a through battery r', and by wire 12 through elcctro' magnet D', and thence to Wires ll and 6 back to track-instrument B. This l call circuit No. 3. The magnet lybcing thus excited, its armature-lcier y will. be drawn over to contactstop l, and thereby circuit Iro, l. will be closed and the bell-ringing apparatus will be put in mici'ation, and will remain so until tile train reaches the irack-instrument a, and it ricerca f vivillbc seen that the -rebreaking of the circuit.

cuit, No. 4, which Will extend'ro'in battery y 'v' by Wires i 9 8, armature-lever g, cont-act stopt', Wires 1 0 and 11, through magnet D', and bylwire y12 back` to. the battery; but the practical efficiency of this circuit will Abe destroyed as soon as a train-Wheel engages the bar n, for circuit No. 2 will thereby be closed, so as to take the current of battery' o' and demagnetize magnet D. The armaturelevcr g Will-thenl leave the contactstops i t" andthe' bellringing circuit Will be broken,Y so as to cause a' cessation of the ringing ofthe bell, and the train then having passed the crossing further alarm is unnecessary; The entire apparatus is thus restored to normal position, andthe outgoing train in passing track-in-4 ,v strnment B Will produce no eect, since that' instrument is constructed to change the circuit only by a train going in the opposite direc'- tion. "Vith a train going overthc saule track from right to left, the track-instrument B will be actuated so as to close the circuit No., 5 at that point, sucii circuit extending by wires l0 li through magnet D', by Wire l2 through bat tery t', anddoy Wire i3 back to B, The effec,

will be'thc saine as before, both as to closing :the bell-ringing circuit No. l and as to putting the magnet D' int-o a nei circuit, Nc. 4,

to keep it excited and the bell in operation.

until the train reaches the tracleinstrument n, and thentbe apparatus will be restored to normai position, as before, With'a like cessation of bell-ringing, and a likenonaction as the then outgoing train passes the tracleinstruinent B.

Going new to Fig. 6, the letters R R and fn, indicate the saine as before; also, the bellringer A. is the same, as Well as circuit No. 1, the parts of which are indicated by tbesanic letters, and l also malgre use oi" the saine electro-magnet, D', and battery t'. The track-in struinen't of Fig. i is arranged. at E' and tile IOO track-instrument ci 2 at l. li/ Vire 2i) connects Atlie terminals s' of tbctwo traclcinstruinent-sv B' 332. vl/'ire 2l leads vfrom the other terminal oi" track-instrument pole o battery o', wire 22 from its other pole to on'eterniinal of electro-magnet D', and from its other terminal wire 23 leads direct to track-instrument a, and byabrancli, 2a, to the armature lever g'. The latter vibrates between two stops, i2, 'and when in contact with if closes circuit No. Land when in contact with i closes the lmain circuit through Wire 25 to he ether track-instrument, B. TWire 2G con` nects the track-rail or other terminalof tr: 'le instrument u with one pole of battery t', as shown. iornially the' armature-lever g' wili been contact und then l have aclosed main circuit from battery n', by wire 22, through elec` trofinagnet D', by wires 24, armature-lever g, Wire 25, track-instrument l, Wire 2Q, trackinstruinent B', and wire 2i, back to battery.

3' to one 4o track-instruments arranged, one in each direc- This `Will keep magnet D' excited, so asto hold armature-lever q to.. contact i, and all other circuits will bebroken, and No. 1 being bro ken, the bell will not ring. Assume, now, that a train approaches from the left. At B it will break the main circuit first described, and so release the armaturelever g, which, under the influence of its Vretractile spring, will goto contanti and close cir- 1o cuit No. l andiset the bell to ringing. Though theterminals at B Will again come in contact as soon as the train passes, the main circuit will remain broken at i2 until the train closes aha a circuit by Wires 26, 23, and 22, through. I5 electro-magnet D and battery 'v'. This will restore the main circuit No. 1, s6- that the bell will cease ringing, and such main circuit will V remain restored, since the magnet D', being excited, will hold its armature-lever g over to 2o contact -i'', and, as already stated, the deiarting train'iin passingi over track-instrument B2 will cause no electrical action at that point. NVith a train-going the other Way the'same. operations will take place, except that the 2 5 main circuitgwill be broken at B2 instead'of at B', but the train in departing will cause no electrical action at B. v The track-instruments Bj* B3 or B Bmaybe located at any desired distance on either. side 3o of the pointv to be protected-say one thousand five "hundredor two thousand feet, more or l less. A "j l claim herein as my inventionl.' The combination of a bell-ringing appa- 3 5 ratus arranged at or-in convenient proximity lto the point to be protected, and included in l a' normally-broken local circuit, No. l, an electro-magnet, D', for making and breaking /suehllol 1 local circuit, two circuit-changing tion therefrom and in connection with the saine line of track, and both electrically connected with said electro-magnet D', and each adapted by the action of an incoming (but not an outgoing) train thereon to closel the bellringing local circuit, and an intermediate track-instrume'l 1t arranged at or near the point -to be protected, and an electric circuit there- "frfimlby which, tlnfough ytrain ,action atthat use 3;

both electrically connected' with said magnet '6o 1)and each adapted tocha-ngethe electrical condition 'of said magnet only under .the action of an incoming or approaching train, and a thirdintermediate' track-instrument and an electric circuit therefrom, adapted, under train action, to change theelectrical condition of said magnet D", suhstantiallyas set forth.

3. The combination of a bell-ringing apparatus, an electric local circuit to operatefthe same, ay make-and'-break mechanism in such 7o crcuit,.' electro-magnet to operate such make-and-break mechanism, airain-actuated 'circuit-changing track-instrument to the right thereof and one to the left thereof, both elec- .trically connected therewith and on the same line Vof track, and cach adapt-ed to change the electrical condition thereof only under tn'action of an incoming or approaching train, and, a third intermediate track-instrument and an electric circuit therefrom, adapted, under train 8o action, to reverse the electrical' condition of said magnet from that given to it from either outer track-instrument, substantially as set forth.

normally-broken local-circuit No. l thereof, an `electro magnet, D', included in normallybroken circuits, Nos. 3 and 5, such circuits including alsothe terminals of track-instruments B* B, a shunt for side circuit, No., 4, and are- 9o storing circuit, N o. 2, substantially as described-with particular reference to Fig. 5.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand.

. 'CHARLES A.- SCOTT.

4. ln combination with a bell-ringer and the I 

